Campylobacter jejuni is one of the most common causes of diarrhea; it can also cause systemic diseases 

-Campylobacter is a motile, non-spore forming, curved (comma-shaped or s-shaped)  gram-negative rods in ‘sea gull wing’ shapes 

– They are microaerophilic, growing best in 5% oxygen than in the 20% present in the atmosphere.

-Common routes of transmission: Contaminated food and water, undercooked poultry, and person-to-person spread by the fecal-oral route

Symptoms & Signs 

Lower abdominal pain, diarrhea – watery or dysenteric, with blood and pus in the stool, fever, headache, malaise 

-The illness is usually self-limited

-The most common complication is dehydration

–Campylobacter is the most commonly identified cause of Guillain-Barré syndrome, which is the most common cause of acute neuromuscular paralysis

Diagnosis 

-Definitive diagnosis by stool culture or PCR

Treatment 

-Most cases of Campylobacter infection do not require antibiotics and are self-limited

-Patients with severe symptoms should be treated with antibiotics such as erythromycin or ciprofloxacin